Rent
by SkInIr
Summary: If you’re housemate is the richest man in the country and you’re a homeless person, what would you do? please read and comment :D AsuxCaga so inspired from watching the K-drama fullhouse and HYD!
1. The Beginning

Summary:

"You are such an idiot!" Cagalli said as she lightly punched Athrun's cheek. "Yeah, I'm an idiot for falling for an idiot like you…" haha, summary sucks. but please read :D CxA

Rent

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"CAGALLI!" A loud cry echoed through the hallway.

Cagalli who was still sleeping literally jumped out of her bed upon hearing the sound. Not even minding the way her blonde hair was sticking out of her head, she immediately ran out of her room and looked for the source of the voice. She hurriedly dashed down the stairs to the living room and finally to the kitchen. "What's wrong?" A worried tone exited her mouth.

"The.. The.. There's a bee!" The voice's owner said as he dove under one of the countertops to avoid the said insect.

Cagalli watched as he (the owner of the voice a.k.a his boss) was pathetically squirming for his dear life.

"Don't just stand there! Kill it!" He demanded.

Cagalli folded her arms. Merciless as usual. With a big sigh, Cagalli walked towards the window and opened it. Fortunately, the small creature went out and Cagalli managed to shut the window tight. Meanwhile, her boss, who was peeking to see if the wretched thing was out of sight finally gained back his composure and walked out of the kitchen like nothing happened.

"Hey, don't tell me you woke me up just to drive that bee away!" Cagalli sent him a glare and followed him all the way to the living room. Cagalli, who was never a morning person, felt the irritation crawling up her spine. With this she could probably send him a flying kick. She sighed. This was stupid, she felt like a mother nagging to her son. Losing her cool very early in the morning might and absolutely _will_ ruin her day. Cagalli might have let it off the hook if only he hadn't worried her like that.

She was waiting for a response. A simple 'sorry' (from him) would make the situation better. Cagalli was also planning that _if_ ever he would apologize she won't mind being called a slave or serving him like an idiot all day.

"A maid should always be ready to serve her_ master _at anytime and any day, right?" He said. "Why the hell am I paying you?"

Cagalli auburn eyes widened. She can't believe what she just heard. He was the most irritating person she has ever met. Cagalli stared at his boss' back while he was walking away from her. She could feel the heat rising up on her cheeks and with a sadistic smile appearing on her face, she knew what should be done.

"Athrun Zala." She called out. Athrun, who was walking on the stairs stopped.

"And who told you to call me by my name?" He asked.

Cagalli smirked. She was so annoyed right now she wouldn't even care if she didn't get her paycheck for the month or get fired.

"I'm asking you a question." Athrun folded his arms.

Cagalli still did not respond. She was now walking towards Athrun, with only two steps away; she clenched her fist and prepared for a punch that Athrun will sure regret in his whole life. She could almost picture Athrun's beautiful face (especially his perfect nose) deformed, and her saying "That's what you get for waking me up. Stupid ass, can't even make a small insect disappear."

Cagalli smiled wickedly, but suddenly her evil thoughts vanished upon hearing Athrun's voice again.

"Do you want to get fired?" He asked.

Cagali's eyes widened. The word 'fired' hit her like a ten-wheeler truck. "No, sir… I... was just trying to ask if you were okay. You are allergic to bees right? I was just making sure that you didn't get any allergic reactions or something…" She panicked and chuckled nervously while making a 'no' kind of gesture with her hand and head.

Athrun stared at Cagalli. "You're lucky; I'm in a good mood."

"I'll be leaving in a while. Make sure you do your job properly." And with that, Athrun quietly made his way to his room.

Cagalli on the other hand was breathing heavily. "Whew. That was close, when you get fired, it's all over." Cagalli whispered as she mind-slapped herself for the thought of punching Athrun, her boss in the face.

Cagalli frowned as she went back into her room. Why the hell am I even in this situation? She asked herself. A month ago she was enjoying her vacation, well not actually 'enjoying' because she had to work, but the fact that she had the freedom to still join her friends for vacation was so much better than being a maid in her own house .

A loud sigh exited her lips. She scanned through her room and saw a familiar thing. It was a picture frame; in it was a picture of a six-year old Cagalli and middle aged man. They were both smiling widely; the man had long grey reaching his shoulders and a beard. He wore a waiter's outfit while Cagalli on the other hand had a wooden spatula and a toque on her head. It was those days when she and her father were playing dress-up.

"Father…"

_Two weeks ago in a near café…_

"_I'm sorry Cagalli, I couldn't do anything" Mr. Johnson, Cagalli's father's friend and company lawyer said._

_Cagalli stared at him for a while. He had his necktie neatly fixed on his collar, while his messy silver hair was all over his forehead, almost covering half of his horned-rimmed glasses and his deep blue eyes. He looked at Cagalli with pity and regret._

"_It's okay Mr. Johnson." Cagalli gave him a reassuring smile. "You really don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."_

_Mr. Johnson made a huge sigh. "I promised your father that I will take care of you."_

"_Thanks you, sir but you really shouldn't trouble yourself. Besides, Ms. Ramius already told me that I could stay at their place until I want to!" It was a lie but she made it really sound convincing so Mr. Johnson wouldn't suspect._

_Another sigh went out of Mr. Johnson's mouth. "Very well, if you say so… " He made a very long pause._

"_If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me" He smiled._

"_Yes sir!" Cagalli chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood._

"_Anyway, here are the documents you need to sign." He said while grabbing a long brown envelope inside his suitcase. "We already have a buyer and wants the house today." He continued._

"_Today? But I haven't moved our things yet." Cagalli managed to say while reading the documents Mr. Johnson gave her._

"_By the way, how much did he buy it?" A random question popped out of her mind. At the back of her mind, she was already planning to reclaim their house._

_Mr. Johnson grabbed a couple of table napkins and began writing something. "$75,000,000" Cagalli gulped. If she was sipping her coffee, she would have already splattered it to the person in front of her. She couldn't even speak at that moment._

"_Se..Se..seventy-five million?!" She finally managed to get a hold of her words. "But, isn't that a bit too much?"_

"_It is too much. But since the new owner is too generous, I accepted his offer." Mr. Johnson folded his arms. He was proud that he was able to sell her father's house for seventy-five million._

_Cagalli scratched her head. How the hell am I going to buy our house back? Seventy-five million is too big. Even if she lived for two life times, she wouldn't be able to buy their house back. _

"_You see Cagalli, the excess money would be yours. Not all of it will be for your father's debt." Mr. Johnson's face became serious._

"_I see…" Cagalli made a long pause. She remembered that before her father died, he made her promise to take care of their house and never sell it to anyone. It was the only thing that her father can give her since they were not that rich. _

_She smiled. "I think I'll get going now, Mr. Johnson. I have to get our things…" Cagalli stood up and bowed to Mr. Johnson._

"_Thanks for everything that you've done for us. I'll leave everything in your hands Mr. Johnson."_

_Mr. Johnson nodded and waved Cagalli goodbye._

_Cagalli walked towards their house. I'm going to miss you, she thought. It was rather a big house. Her father told her that it was an ancestral house and was passed down to him from his great grandfather. It has two floors, three bedrooms, a library, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom on each floor. Traces of old Japanese architecture can be found on the bedrooms, while Spanish architecture dominated the first floor. It was a weird yet unique house. Leaving it would be depressing, but Cagalli had no choice. _

_---_

_Ullen Yula Attha, his father was a struggling business man. Cagalli never really paid attention about his father's business. Well that's because she had never seen her father do business work inside their house. Whenever she would come home from school, Cagalli and her father would play around all day and invent new cooking recipes. She thought everything was doing okay._

_Until last year, when his father died in a heart attack that's when she found out that his father wasn't doing fine at all. First of all, his father never bothered to tell her that his business wasn't doing fine. It was until Mr. Johnson went to their house telling her that her father had a large debt on some company. Also, his father did not tell her about his medical condition. He hated his father for that, or was it that she was just too apathetic?_

_Cagalli later realized that tears were already flowing from her eyes. Why did his father have to die? If only she paid more attention, she could have done something about it. But it was already too late. She already regretted it. Now, all she can do is get back the house that her father entrusted to her. _

_Cagalli wiped her tears away and made a last good look on their house._

"_Whatever happens, I'll get you back."_

"_I promise."_


	2. “I’m the boss, you’re the maid”

Chapter 2: "I'm the boss, you're the maid"

The day after their house was bought, Cagalli went back to make a deal with the new owner. If the new owner wouldn't like to live in the house anymore, Cagalli has to make sure that he/she would sell the house to her.

It was a vague deal, well for one, she isn't sure whether or not the owner would like to leave the house, second, 75 million is too large for her to handle. But still she went there hoping that she could negotiate anything with the new owner.

She knocked at the front door; the gate was open so she entered with ease. Luckily the owner hasn't got guards outside the house. The door opened.

"Are you the replacement for the maid?" A beautiful entity in a bathrobe asked Cagalli.

She stared at him and watched his midnight blue hair follow the motion of his head, while his emerald eyes were staring intently at Cagalli. His face was like a doll's -- flawless and smooth. Is he a model? Cagalli thought.

"Ehem." The beautiful creature's cough made Cagalli realize that she was already looking stupid in front of him.

"No, I'm actually the previous owner of this house." Cagalli smiled

"I don't really have the luxury of time. What do you want?" He folded his arms

"I was wondering if could have a talk with you and discuss ----"

"Do you want to apply as a maid?" He asked.

"Excuse me?"

"A maid, do… you… want to be helper?" Athrun said it very slowly to make sure Cagalli understood what he was talking about.

"I'm not retarded, you know." Cagalli scoffed.

"Well, that's good to hear. All the while I thought you had Down syndrome or something."

Cagalli raised her eyebrows. This guy needs some attitude make over.

"Can you clean a house?" He asked again.

"Well, yeah. But it's not the reason I've come here…" Cagalli protested as she tried to change their topic.

"What about gardening?"

"A little bit. But ---"

"What about other house chores, can you manage it? And do you know how to make coffee?"

"Yeah… Wait a minute, this is not our topic!!" Cagalli waved her arms strongly, emphasizing the need to change their topic. But it was useless.

"Okay, this is settled. You can start today. All you have to do is to fix these things around here, unpack my things, and clean the house…" He stopped.

"Urgh, it's hard to live alone. You have to do everything yourself." He shrugged. "Anyway, you can move your things here tomorrow. Additional details will be added when you move in." He paused.

"And I suggest that you do your job properly if you don't want to lose it." He glared at Cagalli before making his way inside the house.

"Was that a threat?" Cagalli raised her arms. "I didn't even apply for this shit!"

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Cagalli complained, however she still entered the house. "I did not apply to be a maid! I'm here to buy the house!" She stopped. Well, that was if she had the money to buy the house.

"But if you come to think of it, maybe this is a good opportunity. I can watch over the house and probably chase the new owner away."An evil grin appeared on her face.

"All I have to do is be the maid, huh?"

"Oi, where have you been?" A short haired lady scolded Cagalli. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I'm sorry Miriallia" Cagalli was breathing heavily.

"What happened to you?" Miriallia asked. Miriallia Haww was Cagalli's best friend. She had short brown hair and blue-green eyes. They have been friends since they were six.

"I… uh…" Cagalli choked as she tried to take in air.

"I had to run to get to you, damn it!"

"So, it's my fault now?" Miriallia glared at her. "Well, aren't you going to tell me what happened?"

"I got a new job." Cagalli calmly said.

"Really, what is it?" Miriallia's face lightened.

"A maid."

"A maid?" Miriallia raised her eyebrows. "Where?"

"At our house, you see I visited the new owner and he asked me to be his maid."

Miriallia placed fingers on her chin. "Suspicious. Normally, people wouldn't hire some random person that enters their house, right?" She looked at Cagalli and waited for her to agree. On the contrary, she didn't.

"What if he's a drug dealer or an illegal slave trader!" Miriallia jerked. "What if she sells you to the Mafia or even to the Yakuza! NO! I won't allow it; you're not applying in that house."

"But I already started a while ago." Cagalli grinned. "And besides, I unpacked his things and there weren't anything suspicious." She paused. "There was nothing there except for papers, contracts, dozens of envelopes, not to mention tones of -----"

Miriallia made an exaggerated gasp. "I knew it! They are contracts from the Mafia!"

"Miri, will you stop being paranoid? I think he's just a regular office worker." Cagalli gave Miriallia a pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, like a regular office worker could buy a house worth 75 million. That makes sense." Miriallia said with sarcasm.

"Alright fine!" Cagalli raised her arms in defeat. "Why don't we investigate who he really is?"

"And how would you do that?" Miri folded her arms.

"…through the world wide web?"

"You know what, let's just go home. We'll look for a better job tomorrow, okay?" Miriallia dismissed Cagalli's weird idea of investigation.

"Do you even know the owner's name?"

"No."

"Gosh, you don't even know your own boss!" Miriallia grabbed Cagalli's arm and dragged her down the street.

"But in one of the boxes, I saw something like Zala or was it Zara Industries." Cagalli scratched her head with her left arm.

Miriallia released her grip. "Hmm, doesn't ring a bell. Maybe it's really underground. Anyway, let's ask my mom if she knows that company."

Cagalli smiled. "Okay." She was very thankful of Miriallia. When she found out that Cagalli had nowhere to live in, she let her stay in their house, which Cagalli thought to be really embarrassing. Even though Miri's parents treat her like family, she felt that she shouldn't be trouble her best friend's family any longer.

They have been walking now for almost half an hour now. Cagalli, who has been talking about their house, having almost the same interior and furniture only that her room was made into a walk-in closet. She kept telling Miriallia the things that she found inside the unpacked luggage of his boss. While Miri on the other hand, hasn't dismissed the fact that her boss might be a criminal.

"What does he look like?" Miriallia stopped walking as she seriously faced Cagalli. "Does he look like a Mafia person?"

"You mean like in those Italian movies you've watched?" Cagalli asked as she stared at the cloudy sky remembering the face of the new house owner.

Miriallia nodded in agreement.

"Nope, he's actually very gorgeous." Cagalli smiled as she remembered the guy in his bathrobes.

"You mean he's gay?" Miri blinked twice.

Cagalli laughed. "No you idiot, what I meant was he is handsome."

"Well, Mafia bosses are hot."

"Will you stop that Mafia madness already? I told you he's just a -----" Cagalli choked as she turned her head towards the book shop on her right.

"A what?" Miri faced Cagalli and was ready to bombard her with Mafia information. However, she felt disappointed when she saw her best friend pointing and staring like a dunce at a poster in the book shop's window.

Cagalli was murmuring at herself. Miriallia placed her hands on her hips.

"Miri, he… he's…"

"I know, I know, he's hot alright. But do you really have to freeze like that" Miriallia looked at the poster. The guy on the cover had emerald eyes, midnight-blue hair and a serious face. It was a Forbes magazine: special edition. At the side of his picture a sentence was printed in black bold letters: Athrun Zala, the youngest, hottest and the richest man in the world today.

"Miri, He… He's the person who hired me this morning!" Cagalli's eyes widened as she finally got a hold of her words, while Miriallia's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" They stared at each other for a while, then to the poster and to each other again. And in a snap, both ladies found themselves inside the store securing a copy of the magazine for themselves.

"Open it!" Miriallia demanded. Cagalli was shaking while she was turning the pages. Finally, they reached Athrun's column and Cagalli began reading the article loudly.

"…Athrun Zala, heir of the world-famous Zala Industries has been declared as the richest, youngest and not to mention one of the hottest man in the world."

"Athrun who is now 19, has finished his college degree at the age of 17 and is currently the CEO of the Zala Industries. His father, Patrick Zala (currently the richest man over 50) had his blah, blah blah… boring…" Cagalli said as she turned the pages and scanned thru the article.

"…With a net worth of XXX billion, who knows maybe Athrun Zala may exceed what his father has achieved and make new history in the world of economics and business."

Cagalli sighed as she closed the magazine.

"That was it?" Miriallia protested.

"Yeah."

Miriallia chuckled loudly. "What's wrong with you?" Cagalli asked.

"Isn't that great Cagalli?" Miriallia smiled menacingly at the confused Cagalli. "Well, don't you realize that your boss is filthy rich? Which means the salary you'll be earning must be whopping large too!" Miriallia giggled. "Then, that means you can buy back you house in no time!" She giggled again, unable to control her excitement.

"Well, that's true but ---"

"Oh, Cagalli don't be such a pessimist!" Miri smiled sweetly at her. "You will be able to buy back that house whether the buyer is the richest man in the world!"

Cagalli chuckled. "Yeah! I'll buy back that house!"

"Cagalli Fight!" Miriallia shouted as she lifted her fist towards the sky. Cagalli looked at Miri with enthusiasm and determination and imitated the gesture Miri made. They chuckled together as they resumed their walk towards Miriallia's house.


	3. The Turn

Chapter 3: The turn

The break's over, students from different schools had been hurrying up to their respective academies all excited to meet new friends and previous classmates. Students should feel like this but with an exception of Cagalli. She sighed as she walked passed by their school gate. It was her third year now and she was anything but excited in her return to school.

"Yo!" A loud voice was heard from behind that made Cagalli jump in shock.

"Will you stop scaring me?" Cagalli glared at the brown-haired girl.

Miriallia laughed. "Well that's because you weren't paying attention. I was waving at you a while ago."

Cagalli frowned. "I'm sorry"

"Apology accepted." Miriallia nodded as she gave her friend a little brush on the hair. "Anyway, how's it going with your filthy rich boss?" Miriallia clearly emphasized on the filthy rich part.

Cagalli took a long big sigh. "A while ago, he woke me up at 3 am, just to make coffee." She paused. "Around 5 he, asked me to tie his shoelaces and pick out the stuff he would need for the day." Cagalli sighed again; she could feel Miriallia's green eyes stare at her intently.

"You're boss must be a nocturnal kindergarten." Miriallia made a serious face that looked so stupid it made Cagalli laugh hard.

Cagalli couldn't agree more. Before she realized, they were both laughing their heads off. Her best friend really knows how to crack a joke, even in the most depressing times.

"What are you doing, laughing so early in the morning?" A voice interrupted Cagalli and Miriallia's conversation. "I hope that's not about me." He said as he pinned both the girls' heads in his arms.

"Shinn, you idiot!" Cagalli protested as she forcefully released herself from Shin's grip.

"Is that how you greet a friend now?" Shinn chuckled.

"No, but that's what they do when you mess their hair up." Miriallia winced as she tried to fix her flyaway hair back in to place.

Shinn Asuka, 3rd year. Also known as the tiger, his family own a dojo somewhere in the North. He is famous for his great combat skills, especially in taekwondo and kung fu and famous in the ladies for his charisma and handsome looks. This black haired, red eyed student always gets a confession every week. However, it looks like he's not interested in them. Shinn, as far as Cagalli could remember never dated anyone. All he did was make Cagalli's life miserable by being his sparring partner, confidence booster, obligatory cheerleader and not to mention a living punching bag.

Cagalli on the other hand hasn't paid attention to Shinn's so called 'bullying'. Because before they even met, Shinn was a known delinquent in his previous school. Using his martial arts knowledge to terrorize weaker kids than him, it was when he received a good slap in the face (courtesy of Cagalli) that he stopped his foolishness and respected others. And now, he's just busy tormenting Cagalli instead of others. It was his payback. He said.

They were walking together to the school gym, talking about the vacation and stuff. Shinn blabbered about his training at home and how he missed Cagalli as his sparring partner. Cagalli however gave Shinn a death glare.

He chuckled. "It was a joke!" Shinn lifted his arms defensively. He hates or should I say he was scared of Cagalli especially when she does that kind of glare.

"Shinn!" A male voice interrupted.

"Hey, Sai!" Shinn waved and hurridly ran towards his friend and made a see-you-later kind of gesture towards Cagalli and Miriallia.

Cagalli and Miriallia continued to walk towards the gym for the morning assembly.

"Hey, Miri" Cagagalli looked at Miri who was busy kicking a small pebble on the ground. "What did your mom say about Zala industries?"

Mirialla stopped her pebble-kicking and turned a stern face towards Cagalli. "Mom said that the Zala industries came to fame after the Great Depression (1930 onwards). Their small company was based in the US, and on that time the Zala Industries live off in its steel production. And it was only in the seventies, when Athrun's father became head of the company that they expanded. From the steel industry, Patrick Zala (Athrun's father) developed the company into other forms. He went to hotels, restaurants, malls, the stock market and etc. The rest was history."

"Wow, your mom's amazing." Cagalli stared at Miri.

"Well, she did a little searching in the internet."

"So, why are they here in Japan now?" Cagalli added.

"You see, Athrun's grandmother was Japanese (A/N: I just made this up :p peace!) and she wanted to return to Japan, so they like moved their 'main branch' here. " Miriallia replied while raising her fingers for the quote-unquote gesture.

"I see…"

-----

Two weeks have passed since the first day of school.

Of all other people living in Japan, this man had to buy their house. She had been living with this famous Athrun Zala for three weeks already but still can't decipher his character. Cagalli tried to talk to him but no luck ever fell with her. After the bee incident, all she could hear from Athrun was "coffee", "tea" or a simple clearing of the throat. She was lucky if her name was added on the first two words.

She would ask breakfast but he would just raise his hand, palm facing Cagalli. 'Talk to the hand, Cagalli.' as she would to interpret his gesture. As for dinner he would give no response. Every time he arrives, he would go straight up to his room. Call Cagalli for coffee or ask her to prepare him a bath. When she enters his room to deliver his coffee, she would hear the loud clicking of the keys from his laptop computer. At two am, she would hear the door of the veranda slide, then after a few minutes it would slide again and silence would surround the whole house. It was his daily unexciting routine.

What a boring person, Cagalli thought. She felt that it was better to be Shinn's punching bag than to be stuck here with her workaholic boss. Cagalli realized that the most appropriate thing to do is to never be associated with Athrun. As much as possible Cagalli would want to buy back their house with the least possible time and the least interaction with her boss.

------

The bell for lunch rang furiously. Students were already chatting and grabbing their bentos from their bags. Cagalli and Miri did the same. The smell of fried shrimp and rice filled the air. Cagalli excitedly said her prayer of thanks and began digging her bento.

Her phone rang. She checked her cellphone's screen. Unknown number, it flashed. Unsure of the caller but she answered the call anyway.

"Cagalli" The voice said

"Yes? Who's this?" Cagalli stared at Miri, who was in front of her.

The voice cleared his throat. "It's Athrun."

"On top of my table, there's a dark brown folder. It has a hand written label: Kleinert Planning. I need you to deliver it here in my office by 1 o'clock." Athrun continued. He didn't even give Cagalli a chance to reply. "There's a car waiting at home. It will take you to the office." He hung up.

Cagalli stared at their classroom's wall clock. 12:25. Cagalli suddenly stood up, grabbed her bag and raced towards the door.

"I have an important thing to do" She gave Miriallia a pat on the head.

"Take care of my lunch." She said as she ran out of the room.

"Hey!" Miriallia tried to follow her out, but Cagalli ran out like an angry bull in the hallway.

"Sheesh, that girl!"

------

Cagalli arrived at their house, panting. It was already 12:45. She cursed herself for being so obedient that she had to cut classes to get that stupid folder. Athrun's room was tidy as usual. The only disturbing scene was the mountains papers and folders around his desk. Good thing his desk was uncluttered by these piles of paper. Cagalli reached the folders on Athrun's desk. There was no Kleinert among them.

She searched again. This time on the table's drawers, she opened the central drawer and viola, the Keinert folder appeared. She whispered a small prayer of thanks and went to the car Athrun was referring to.

--------

Athrun Zala, the man who never had the luxury of time sat on his chair and massaged his temples. He hated delays, especially in work. He looked at his wrist watch, it was 10 minutes past 1 o'clock. He tapped his pen on the table several times, clicked it and tapped again. His patience was growing thin. At the back of his head, he made sure that Cagalli would receive a large amount of scolding when he gets home.

Another ten minutes have passed and finally, his personal elevator opened.

"You're ---!" Athrun stopped, his eyes widened.

"Expecting somebody else son?" A familiar figure greeted Athrun.

"Father…?" Patrick Zala, Athrun's father. One of the most successful persons in the world, but as a father he was pretty much of a failure.

"What do you want?" He snapped at his father.

"Is it bad for a father to visit his own son?" His father smiled.

Athrun shot another glare. He hated his father. What kind of man would exchange his own wife's wake and burial for a business meeting with foreign people? Sure Athrun was workaholic like him but would never exchange his work for his family.

"Alright, alright." His father's smile disappeared. "I want you to pick one." He snapped his fingers. Out from nowhere, his father's personal assistant, Rau Le Creuset appeared, handing his father a long brown folder.

"What are these?" Athrun gave Patrick a suspicious look.

"These are…" Patrick paused as he opened the folder and flipped its pages. "These are candidates for your future wife." He continued.

Athrun stared at his father and his assistant.

"Aren't you happy that unlike other fathers out there, I'm giving you the freedom to choose?" His father made it sound like it was the most righteous thing to do.

"Most fathers don't give their sons list for them to choose from." He glared at his father.

Patrick's patience thread finally snapped and he began shouting at Athrun. It was a tough father and son argument. Patrick stressed out the fact that he's doing it for their company's sake; while Athrun pointed out that it's not the only solution for further empowering their company. The heated argument branched its topic to each other's personal lives. Athrun had been rebutting his father's personal attacks.

The elevator shaft opened and Cagalli appeared on Athrun's office. The office had a sulking aura. Both men stopped and stared at Cagalli. Patrick regained his composure, he sighed. What he really hates most are people interrupting conversations. He scanned Cagalli from head to toe.

"And you are?" Cagalli could feel malicious eyes examining her.

"I... uh..." She choked. Cagalli could not figure out her what to say to this person. His mere presence was scaring her.

Patrick Zala redirected his anger at Cagalli. "Do you know that this room is off limits to useless little creatures?" His voice echoed through the whole room. Additional wrinkles were appearing on his forehead and cheeks.

Cagalli shot him a death glare. Who the heck is this person, she thought. It's the first time they met and he's saying rude words. "With all due respect sir, but Athrun asked me to come here." She said firmly while staring at Patrick's eyes. The old man narrowed his eyes, rushed to Cagalli to slap her on the face.

"Stop it." Athrun caught his father's arm before it could hit Cagalli.

Cagalli, much of her shock hid behind Athrun's back and held his coat tight. The situation has gotten to worse. If only she just kept her mouth shut. She thought.

"I didn't know you were this kind to your employees, Athrun." His father brushed his hair. No one ever dared to talk back to Patrick Zala. If ever they did, they would receive the most just punishment. Being laid off in work or worse.

"She's my fiancé." Athrun looked away from his father's eyes.

Patrick's eyes widened as if he was like to have a heart attack. While Cagalli's eyes did the same, but she shut her mouth and allowed Athrun to do the talking. It was probably the best excuse to get out of this mess, she thought.

But before anyone was to speak, Patrick's hand came flying across and slapped Athrun. Silence filled the air. All Cagalli could do was watch, the scene was just like a heavy drama she used to watch.

"Let's go Cagalli" Athrun whispered as he grabbed her arm and made their way towards the elevator.

"Athrun Zala!" Patrick roared but Athrun did not stop. The elevator shaft closed leaving Patrick and his assistant inside the office.

Patrick massaged his temples, inhaled and exhaled several times until he was calm.

"Rau." He coolly said.

"Yes, sir?"

"I want full background check on that woman. I want every piece of information about her at my desk at 3pm." Patrick walked towards the elevator.

"Yes sir."

------

Inside the elevator shaft, Cagalli did not even dare to talk. Every now and then she would glance at Athrun whose right cheek was red and swollen. Me and my big mouth, Cagalli blamed herself for what happened. If she didn't answer back, Athrun wouldn't think of such an absurd excuse and probably wouldn't get slapped by that man.

"I'm sorry" Cagalli mumbled.

"It wasn't your fault." He whispered back. Athrun was still holding Cagalli's hand; it grew tighter as the elevator shaft opened. He walked out quickly, dragging Cagalli and ignoring anyone that greeted him.

------

Cagalli stared blankly at the car window. She would give an occasional gaze at Athrun who just kept his serious face on the road. He stayed silent, one time Cagalli caught him massaging his right cheek. It must have really hurt.

"Stop the car!" Cagalli shouted as spotted a drugstore on the corner of the road.

Athrun, surprised from Cagalli's sudden jolt, managed to hit the breaks. "What the heck is your problem?" He glared at Cagalli.

"Go park somewhere and wait for me." She said as she released her seatbelt buckle.

"Who are you to order me around?" He raised his tone.

"Well, I'm your fi-an-ce." She raised her eyebrows and slammed the car door.

Athrun rolled his eyes but did what he was told. He parked his car and watched as Cagalli went inside the drugstore.

A few minutes later, Cagalli came back with white plastic bag in her hand.

"What did you buy?"

"Well, here's some cold compress, ibuprofen and water." Cagalli smiled.

"Here, drink this; it will help reduce the pain." She offered the ibuprofen tablet to Athrun.

He stared at her. "It doesn't hurt."

"Are you kidding me? With that kind of color?" Cagalli searched for her mirror in her school bag and showed Athrun what he really looked like.

"Your cheek is turning to purple." She pointed at Athrun's cheek. She offered the medicine and water again. This time, Athrun finally took it.

Cagalli opened the ready-to-use cold compress and lightly placed it on Athrun's swollen cheek. He jolted at first but soon as he felt the soothing sensation he began to relax.

"Thanks" Athrun muttered while looking away from Cagalli

Cagalli smiled at Athrun. "It was no big deal, it was partly my fault and besides, I'm still your maid, and maids take care of their masters." It sounded weird for Cagalli acknowledging herself as _his_ maid.

Athrun on the other hand muttered another thanks and smiled sweetly back at Cagalli. She looked down to hide her furiously blushed cheeks.

It was unexpected but Athrun really looked nice when he smiled. She thought.

----------

Whew. It's a very long chapter folks, but I hope you'll read and like it.

The next chapters will be more Athrun and Cagalli-ish so please, please read and comment =) thanks.


	4. Contract

Chapter 4: Contract

The four of them had been sitting quietly for a while now. Athrun's puffy face finally reduced its size; he was now reclining on the sofa he was sitting on. Meanwhile two new faces bombarded Athrun with questions about the things that happened a while ago. They forced him to tell the whole story, and Athrun did. Cagalli later realized that she was just adding salt to injury when he provoked the old man (Which she knew later on, was Athrun's father).

Cagalli gazed around the room. It was definitely bigger than their living room at home and it was just the bedroom of this guy standing near the window. He had brown hair and purple eyes. He was a close friend, Athrun told her as they went past by what seemed to be a protected rain forest but happened to be his close friend's drive way. Anyway, aside from his good looks, his face was calm and sweet. It makes you want to stare at it forever. Unlike Athrun whose face, most of the time looked like he lost in a poker game or the lottery. Athrun's friend stood by the window and listened to Athrun's tale. He would make side comments and nag about the things Athrun should or shouldn't have done.

Kira, as he was called by the other unfamiliar face. This pink-haired lady sat beside Athrun. Cagalli was sure she had seen her somewhere but couldn't remember it. Her green eyes would often look at Cagalli and when she is caught, a smile would creep upon her lips.

Cagalli woke up from her daydreaming trance when the topic of their conversation focused on her. Kira asked Athrun, why of all excuses he would use the term fiancé to get away from his father. He just placed both their lives in danger. Athrun would rebut and say that he had no choice and it was the first thing that popped out of his head.

They were like fighting kids, little kids arguing about who's going to use the potty room first.

"Uhmmm…" Cagalli tried to get their attention. There was no use in crying over spilt milk. She better stop this fast, she wouldn't want to see another drama scene.

They weren't paying attention. She was about to call them again when the elegant pink-haired lady stood up.

"Ara, ara" She placed her fingers on her chin. "Ladies shouldn't be listening to conversations like this. Would you like to go out for a while?" She stared and smiled at Cagalli, while Cagalli dumbfoundly nodded as she followed her outside the room.

The lady sighed. "We'll let them talk alone, man to man."

"By the way, I'm Lacus Clyne." she extended her hand so Cagalli could shake it. She was so beautiful, she thought.

"Cagalli Yula Attha" Cagalli answered. Cagalli shook Lacus hand lightly fearing that if she shook it too hard her skin might break. She looked so fragile just like those porcelain dolls for sale in antique shops.

"Lacus Clyne…" Cagalli paused. The name sounded familiar, and then it hit her.

"You're THE Lacus Clyne?" Cagalli remembered the posters she saw on record bars, pink-haired, with cute little round toy robots of different colors surrounding her. It was her cover album. Also, Cagalli heard that she's one of the most successful recording artists in history, reaching over 30 million record sales at a very young age.

"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you." Cagalli said, embarrassed.

"It's okay." She smiled. "Because today I'm not THE Lacus Clyne, I'm Lacus, Cagalli's friend." Cagalli smiled widely back at her new found friend. She was so nice and gentle. It's a good thing that her workaholic boss got some good friends.

They walked towards the house's garden. It was filled with different kinds of flowers, trees and plants. Birds dwell on bird baths. At the middle of the garden stood a small white house-like structure, Cagalli didn't know what it was called but the roof was like a tent's and strong pillars stood on each corner. It was a very peaceful scene.

"You know, this was where Athrun and Kira met." Lacus smiled as she pointed at the small house. "Kira then, was a cry baby and a clumsy kid. He would always get scolded by Athrun. Athrun was the one who's always calm and composed. When he was a kid, he never cried in front of anybody." Lacus said as she tried to touch the bird that had landed on the veranda.

"What about you Cagalli, how did you meet Athrun?"

"It's a long story…" Cagalli sighed.

"We've got time," Lacus backed her hand away as the bird flew away.

Cagalli stared at the wide garden. Since Lacus knew that Cagalli wasn't Athrun's real fiancé might as well tell her the reason why she knew Athrun.

Cagalli told her story, not even skipping a single detail: The reason why her their house was gone to the day Athrun bought the house, his coffee addiction and his habit of waking up very, very early in the morning and sleeping so late at night.

"I'm sorry," Lacus said as she heard the death of Cagalli father. Cagalli smiled back and gave her an assuring nod that it was okay.

"If there's anything I can do to help just ask, okay?" Lacus held one of Cagalli's hands and smiled at her sweetly. Athrun's a real lucky guy. Cagalli thought. Having such great friends by his side is amazing.

"So, how's Athrun as a boss?" Lacus said.

"I really don't get him." Cagalli frowned and crossed her arms. "I mean, can't he communicate well? Every time I'd see him and ask him if he'd want food or anything, he would raise his hand like this." Cagalli imitated Athrun's gesture at Lacus. "And you know what," Cagalli looked deeply at Lacus' eyes. "He talks at an average of 3 to 4 words per sentence. Was he that composed? How could you live with a person like that?" Cagalli shook her head. For her it was a big deal. She liked to talk. She was the kind of person who doesn't know how to shut up, even though people tell her to.

Cagalli sighed loudly, she felt good. It was like releasing all your stress in the air. Meanwhile, Lacus stayed quiet and stared at her.

The silence went on for a while. When Lacus did not talk back, Cagalli figured out that she had said something offensive.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said those things…" Cagalli mind-slapped herself when she realized that she had been badmouthing one of Lacus' closest friends.

Lacus sighed. "It's alright." She paused.

"You know, he wasn't like that before. He talked a lot too… It was when his mother died 7 years ago he became more secluded, less talkative and workaholic." Lacus smiled weakly at her.

"I see…" Cagalli wasn't sure what and how to react. Cagall etched a frown on her face. She felt guilty on saying those mean things.

"I think we should be heading back." Lacus placed her fingers on her chin. Her bright smile came back as she turned her back and headed toward Kira's room. Cagalli stared and stood for a while. She forcefully shook her head to remove her guilty aura and followed Lacus towards Kira's room.

----

"It's been decided." Kira said as both Lacus and Cagalli entered the room.

"Cagalli-chan" Kira went to Cagalli and gently took both her hands. His purple eyes were looking at Cagalli deeply.

"Cagalli-chan, can you play as Athrun's fiancé for a little while?" Kira's grip on Cagalli's hands tightened.

The four of them stood silent. Athrun who was now standing near the window did not speak at all. Lacus, on the other hand stared at Cagalli whose mouth was wide open.

Cagalli tried to speak but words wouldn't come out.

"I know this would be hard, not knowing Athrun and all, but the situation has gotten out of hand. If…"

"Okay, I'll do it." Cagalli firmly stared at Kira.

"You see, it was partly my fault that he's in that situation." She paused. "I'll just consider it as a part of my job description." Cagalli nervously smiled. Kira muttered a small thanks and slowly released Cagalli's hand.

Hiring me to escape an arranged marriage huh, I guess, even rich people have problems. Cagalli thought as she stared at Athrun who still hasn't moved from his original position.

"Okay, I guess this is settled." Lacus made a small clap.

"But as Cagalli said, this fiancé thing is not part of her job description." Lacus grabbed a pen and paper from Kira's desk and started scribbling things. After she was finished, she walked towards Athrun and read her writings aloud.

"Contract" She started.

"In exchange for Cagalli Yula Attha's cooperation as Athrun Zala's fiancé, Athrun Zala, whose the current owner of the previous Attha residence would sell the house back to Ms. Attha at half of its current price, $75,000,000." Lacus smiled widely at Athrun who raised his eyebrows. He was not sure what she was trying to pull off.

Lacus winked at Cagalli, Cagalli's her earlier shock look changed into a smile.

"What?" Lacus scowled Athrun.

"Fine by me, how long will this contract last?" Athrun said while he grabbed the paper from Lacus.

"Hmm, let's see…" Lacus placed her pointing finger at her chin. "Ah, I got it!" She grabbed back the paper and started writing again.

"The validity of this contract is until: 1. Cagalli Yula Attha buys her house back and 2. If Athrun Zala wishes Cagalli Yula Attha to stop being his fiancé. Until these TWO conditions are met, Cagalli Yula Attha would continue to be Mr. Zala's fiancé and maid."

"Is that okay?" Lacus looked for Kira's approval.

"Sounds good to me." Kira replied.

Lacus began scribbling things again. She handed the paper to Athrun for him to sign. Next she let Kira and herself sign the contract as witnesses and last but not least, she gave the contract to Cagalli for her to sign. Cagalli smiled at Lacus widely. It was a great help. She hasn't even thought of such idea.

"Now that everything is settled, I think we should prepare for the party." Kira smiled

"Party?!" Cagalli's mouth fell open.

----

Patrick Zala stood his office window. The office was gloomy. Patrick's desk stood in near the window. In front of it was a large elegant sofa, complete with throw pillows, lampshades and coffee tables. Bookshelves and beautifully carved file cabinets filled the side of the room while large paintings were hanged on the other side of the room. However, there was not a single picture, portrait or photo of his family found in his room. Patrick looked at the adjacent tall building. He should have bought that company. He thought. He looked away upon hearing his assistant enter the room.

"Here are the papers sir," Rau Le Creuset handed him an envelope. Patrick sat on his office chair.

"Cagalli Yula Attha" He started.

"…Lived in an orphanage and was adopted at the age of six…" Patrick growled.

He continued reading Cagalli's background file until he stood up and slammed the papers on his desk. Patrick felt the irritation creeping up on him. He certainly did not like Cagalli's background. He cursed under his breath, a lowlife person trying to penetrate the Zalas. This is the most absurd idea. Patrick glared at the small photo attached to the paper. He sighed as he reclined back to his chair.

"Any orders sir?" Rau placed his arms on his back. Rau was Patrick's right hand. He was the one assigned to do Patrick's dirty work. One word from Patrick and he can and will obliterate (in whatever means) whoever is against his boss' work.

Patrick chuckled. He laughed at himself for a while. Rau, who just stared at his boss, was probably used to this attitude of his.

"Let them be." Patrick sat upright, his elbows were on his desk and his hands covered his nose and mouth.

"If Athrun wants her then let them be." Patrick smiled wickedly, confusing his assistant. Usually, Patrick deals with pests right on the spot.

"Sir?"

"Rau, you do know what lowlife creatures do at the sight of money?" Patrick said as he reclined on his chair.

"Yes sir." Rau replied. He too was smiling now wickedly just like his boss.

"Whether that's real love or not, I'm sure that little girl couldn't do anything if a large amount is offered to her face. They are all like that."

"But why not offer the money now?" Rau asked.

"Tsk, tsk, Rau…" Patrick paused. His smile grew bigger. He always enjoyed telling his assistant his plans.

"First we need to build up their trust. Nothing's better than having your most loved and trusted one stab you in the back right?"

----

"My lady, please don't move." A woman in black and white said as she scrubbed Cagalli's back. How could she not move? It was one of the most awkward situations – having someone wash you, not to mention see you naked. Cagalli tried to stay still, her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

Cagalli went out of the bathroom in a bathrobe. Immediately she was asked to sit in a chair. People surrounded her, the women in black positioned themselves around Cagalli, one on each hand and foot. There were two at her back and one holding a large brush. These women engaged themselves in beautifying her. Cagalli asked herself if this was really how rich people beautify themselves.

The black ladies backed away one by one, their job was done. They asked her to stand up and dressed her with a black backless mini dress. Cagalli shivered as she looked at her exposed back. The dress, mini dress or whatever was too much for her. She tried to ask the ladies who dressed her if it was okay to change her it. They did not reply, instead they gave Cagalli a pair of gold high heels. She stared and slowly took the heels, losing her focus on her clothing. Cagalli wore the heels and immediately stood in front of the large mirror. She stared down her foot, amazed on how the shoes looked good on her.

Cagalli tried to walk it but lost her balance. The length of the heels reached four inches and it was so thin, she could probably stab a cockroach with it. Cagalli scratched her head, it was best if they could give her a shoe with a shorter heel. She gazed around the room. The ladies in black as well as the maids disappeared. She sighed as she carefully walked towards the door, but before she could open it, someone from the other side pushed the door open causing Cagalli to hit her head and lose her balance. She sat on the floor, her hands on her forehead.

"Cagalli, let's go." Athrun entered and searched the room.

"What are you doing on the floor?" He said as he crossed his arms.

Cagalli pointed at the door, her other hand was still on her forehead. Athrun later realized that he hit her with the door.

"Let me see," Athrun kneeled and examined Cagalli's forehead.

Athrun held her chin and checked her forehead for bumps. Athrun's gaze moved from Cagalli's forehead to her face. Her make-up emphasized much of her facial features. Her bronze eye shadow highlighted her auburn eyes making it more expressive and beautiful.

But I think she's prettier without make up on, He thought. A small smile appeared on Athrun's face as he continued to observe Cagalli's face, this time he moved closer.

"Did it bruise?" Cagalli asked as she realized the proximity of Athrun and her face.

"Huh? Uh, no…" Athrun instantly moved away and mind-slapped himself for staring at her like an idiot.

He stood up and offered his hand to Cagalli. After she regained her sense of balance, she followed Athrun who was now like 3 feet away from her.

"What the hell," Cagalli whispered as she acted like she's going to punch Athrun.

"He… can't even wait for his date!" Cagalli hissed. "You're lucky you've got a nice ass, or else I've already kicked it hard." She walked while supporting herself with walls or anything that she can get a hold of. She cursed herself for wearing these heels.

I just wish that this party would end. Cagalli sighed.


	5. High Heels and Ramen

Chapter 5: High heels and Ramen

Cagalli's heart was pumping hard inside its cavity. It was her first time going to a party. She was so nervous right that she felt all that she had eaten for the day would just go up her throat.

"I'm nervous" She blurted out. Athrun on the other hand crossed his arms and paid her no attention. They were inside an elevator. Kira and Lacus went on ahead so that they could give both Cagalli and Athrun a grand entrance.

Cagalli's hands were cold. Cold beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. If it wasn't for the air condition, her make-up would have melted from her face. It was like she had diarrhea except for the fact that she wasn't actually experiencing any bowel irregularities.

"I swear to God, I'm going to throw up." She exhaled loudly and tried to calm herself.

"If you're worried about your face, you don't have to worry. You look stunning." Athrun uncomfortably gazed at Cagalli. Did he just say that she was stunning? A while ago he stared at her like an idiot and now, he's complementing her. What the heck is wrong with me? He thought.

"I'm not worried about that." Who cares about her face? Cagalli exhaled again as she franticly tried to release her nervousness. Meanwhile, Athrun also breathed heavily. It was a good thing that she was too nervous to acknowledge the compliment he made.

"You see, this is my first time… and I'm not sure if I can do it. You know, I… uh… I really can't walk straight in these heels and I might embarrass you in front of those people and… I might trip… and what about manners and etiquette… What if I do something I'm not supposed to??" Cagalli placed her hands on her head. "Please just kill me."

Athrun stared before chuckling at the devastated Cagalli. He held his stomach and did not stop laughing even though blazing auburn eyes were staring at him.

"I'm sorry… It's just that…" Athrun tried to stop himself from laughing but did it unsuccessfully. He hasn't laughed like this for years. "You should have seen your face." He said while wiping his eye.

Cagalli smiled sarcastically. "Thanks, that _really_ made me feel better."

"But why be worried?" Athrun fixed his coat and extended his arm.

"It's not like I'll allow you to embarrass yourself… Don't worry… I'll be here, okay? I'm not going to leave you." Athrun made a straight face. Okay, reality check. He was clearly not trying to cheer this girl up. But if he didn't say that, she might not be able to get out of this elevator. It was necessary, he tried to convince himself.

"Thanks." Cagalli smiled, this time sweetly. It made her feel better. Maybe, she was wrong about Athrun. She needs to do a little re-evaluation, maybe Athrun is a nice guy after all.

The two of them entered the hall. Cagalli's mouth fell open as she saw how extravagant and beautiful the room was. It was large enough to fit in three orchestras. Speaking of orchestra, there was one inside the room playing some foreign songs. Cagalli couldn't stop her head from observing the room. Enormous chandeliers floated from the ceiling. Large tables and chairs filled the place. Each table had its own waiter and the smell of wine and classy perfumes filled the air. Her nervousness died down upon seeing the place. She was like in a movie, no, in a fairy tale and Athrun here is her prince charming. Cagalli giggled to herself and too much of her excitement, she tripped on her own foot.

"Careful," Athrun whispered as he caught her by the waist.

"Sorry," she whispered back. Cagalli you're so stupid! She scolded herself. How could she think of such things? She needs to focus, it's not like everything she's doing now is real.

"Ah, Athrun!" Lacus smiled as she and Kira went to their table. "And who's this pretty lady?" Kira said as he held Cagalli's hand.

"Cagalli Yula Attha, my fiancé." Athrun replied.

"So you're the girl that he's been talking about. I've heard a lot about you." Kira kissed Cagalli's hand. "I'm Kira Yamato."

Cagalli raised her eyebrow. These people sure know how to pull out a skit.

"Athrun!" Another guy greeted him. Behind that guy were two more guys. The one who greeted Athrun had green hair. He was smaller compared to his companions. The other two were tall. One of them had grayish or kind of dirty-white hair. Cagalli wasn't sure what color it was and just like Athrun, he had a serious face, only Athrun's face was the less scary type. While the other one had a light chocolate brown complexion, Cagalli probably thought that he wasn't Japanese. His blond hair was sticking up. And upon the site of Cagalli, he raced his other companions and grabbed Cagalli by the waist.

"Athrun, you brought a very dazzling lady." Cagalli gasped as the blond clutched her hand and they performed a tango spin and a tango posing. Cagalli's eyes widened as she managed to somewhat do the turn without breaking a heel. Cagalli stared at the man's golden eyes. His arm was supporting her back while he held the guy on the arms, fearing that she might fall. Their faces were so close to each other that if Cagalli wasn't awkwardly backing away, he might already have kissed her.

"Okay, break it up." Athrun said as he placed his hand between Cagalli and the man's face. He took hold of Cagalli whose face has flushed all its color out.

"Chill man, I was just saying hello." Dearka smiled as he winked at Cagalli. "Dearka Elsman." He bowed.

"This grumpy guy over here is Yzak Joule." Dearka said as he told the gray-haired guy to shake Cagalli's hand.

"And this little guy over here is Nicol Amalfi_._" Nicol, glared at Dearka for calling him a shorty.

Cagalli gladly took his extended hand and shook it. He smiled at her sweetly. He was like the male version of Lacus.

"Are you enjoying the party?" He asked Cagalli.

"Yes, uhm… very much!" Cagalli smiled widely. So, it was his party, she thought.

"Don't leave early okay, I still have a surprise for everyone." He beamed a smile and waved goodbye as soon as he was called to go to the stage.

"So…" Dearka said as he placed his arm on Cagalli's shoulders. "How did you and Athrun meet?"

"Huh?" Cagalli stared blankly at Dearka. Shit, they were not able to practice that. She thought.

"We… uhm… met on a plane. We were both going to China and yeah…" Cagalli paused. What a lie, she thought. She hasn't even ridden a plane all her life.

They are going to be so busted. She thought. What if that Yzak guy was asking Athrun the same thing? Cagalli's heart pounded as she saw Yzak moving towards them.

"Dearka, we gotta run. Nicol needs us on the stage." Yzak bowed on Cagalli and dragged Dearka along with him.

Whew. Cagalli sighed. She and Athrun need to talk. "Hey!" Cagalli pretended to sweetly hold Athrun's arm. "Did anybody ask where we met?" She tightened her grip on his arm.

"No," Athrun answered.

"Good." Finally, Cagalli could breathe easily. "Okay, this is what I told Dearka. We met on a plane, we were both going to China, and from there we started going out… " Cagalli glared at Athrun who was obviously not listening.

"Hey, you're not listening. Do you want to be busted? We've got to straighten our stories up." Cagalli shook her head.

"I'm listening." Athrun smiled sarcastically.

"Okay, what did I say then?"

"We met at a plane going to China, and from there we started going out." Athrun repeated Cagalli's words like a robot.

"Good. Okay, we have already been dating for, uhh… six months." Cagalli murmured.

Athrun nodded in agreement.

"And, you proposed to me just last month and I said yes… and, where would you suggest you proposed?" Cagalli asked. She couldn't think of a place.

"At your house?"

Cagalli raised her eyebrow. "Could you please be a little more romantic?"

"Alright fine, I proposed to you at Prince's Palace in Monaco."

"Monaco? Is there such a place?" Cagalli scratched her head. Wasn't it supposed to be Morocco? Damn, she hissed. She doesn't know much on her geography but if she proves that Monaco does not exist, she'll make sure Athrun's going to get his butt kicked.

Cagalli continued on glaring at Athrun. But she still held his arm like a leech sucking it victim. Cagalli was too paranoid to let go, it would be easier to make stories if they stick together.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Nicol said. He stood up on the stage near the orchestra. "Thank you all for coming tonight. It has been a very wonderful evening. I would like to acknowledge the presence of my friend for a very long time, Mr. Athrun Zala." Out of nowhere a spotlight focused its glow on Athrun and Cagalli. Claps roared all around the hall. "…and his lovely fiancé, Ms. Cagalli Yula Attha." Nicol continued.

The loud claps faded instantly, gasps and whispers filled the air. Cagalli smiled cheerfully as she can. They all sat down on their respective tables, food was about to be served. Finally, Cagalli thought. Her stomach has been disturbing her for a while. She wasn't really able to finish her lunch at school. If only she could devour the plate, it would be better.

Cagalli waited for the food to be served. This will be exciting, she thought. It was her first time to eat high class dishes. I'm sure they are really delicious and mouthwatering. Cagalli giggled as the waiter served her dish. Her eyes squinted as she saw her meal. It was composed of four large plates. Each had a piece of round thing in them. Cagalli wasn't sure if it was pork, beef or whatever. She gazed upon Kira, then to Athrun and Lacus. They seemed satisfied with their dish. Seriously, how can anyone eat something so small?

Cagalli watched as Lacus sliced the small round edible thing into pieces. Cagalli groaned as she placed the whole stack of beef in her mouth. She finished all four plates and excused herself to the restroom. She walked slowly to control her balance. While walking towards the comfort room, Cagalli could feel a number of cold eyes staring at her. Maybe it was just her imagination. She ignored the idea and went straight to the cubicle.

Man, I'm still hungry. She sighed as she touched his tummy. Cagalli sat down on the toilet seat cover and cuffed her hand on her chin. Their world and Cagalli's world were sure different. Cagalli reflected on what has happened during her day. It was like she had a great deal of culture shock. Everything was different. They were different.

Cagalli shrugged as she pinched herself on the check. "Deal with it, Cagalli! It's for father and the house!" Cagalli smiled and opened the cubicle door. At the same time, four ladies entered the comfort room.

"Did you see her?" The red haired lady said.

"Yes, she was like blond and blond girls are stupid." Another one said.

Cagalli shut the cubicle door tight. She rested her ear on the cubicle door. Were they talking about her?

"Did you see her backless dress?" The third one scoffed. "She looks like she's some prostitute working in the red light district."

Cagalli's eyes widened. "Prostitute??" She gasped.

"I mean, c'mon! What was Athrun-sama thinking picking a girl like that?" Their conversation continued.

"She is not pretty. I swear to God, my little dog looks better in her dress."

Cagalli's jaw flew wide open. What the hell? Those bratty little bitches, she thought. Cagalli couldn't tolerate her anger no more.

"You little bitches!" Cagalli stormed out of the cubicle and gave the four girls a good pull on the hair. Cagalli shook her head as her imagination went wild. If only she could storm out and give those women some of her payback. But she couldn't do that.

"You shouldn't talk about her like that." Finally, the fourth girl spoke.

"What are you going to do about it Shiho?" The other one teased.

Shiho shrugged. "You don't personally know her. So why the hell are you being so judgmental." She glared at them.

Cagalli from inside the cubicle gasped.

"Well, because she's not the one for Athrun. Right girls?"

Who the heck was talking? Cagalli tried to look into the small space between the doors. All she could see was a girl with a pink hair arguing with the girl with black hair. That must be Shiho. Cagalli thought.

"His fiancé should be me!" The pink haired girl squealed.

"Dream on Meer, you knew from the start that ever since high school Athrun has never paid you any attention." Shiho opened the faucet and washed her hands.

"Why you little---" Meer grabbed Shiho's shoulders but before she could do anything Cagalli's cubicle door opened with a loud bang.

"Hello, ladies." Cagalli smiled.

The four girls stared at Cagalli, their mouths wide open.

"So, I just heard that I look like a prostitute." Cagalli smiled again. The two girls backed themselves away from Cagalli but Meer, the pink haired lady stood still and glared at her. Their eyes met and this only means one thing – a cat fight.

Cagalli examined Meer from head to toe. "You look like a whore yourself." She smiled sarcastically.

Suddenly Meer's hands went flying to slap Cagalli. But before anything could hit her, Cagalli managed to catch Meer's arm and held it tight. Meer squealed in pain. She tried to let go but Cagalli gripped her arm like a tiger.

"Don't you dare talk about me like that again." Cagalli looked straight into Meer's eyes.

"Athrun doesn't suit you. I like him! He's mine!" Meer said as she struggled to release herself from Cagalli's grip.

Cagalli sighed. How could anyone fret over a guy like this? "Honey, Athrun had his four years of high school to consider you as his girlfriend. But he never did consider you. So just give up!" Cagalli said it slowly. She made sure that it would be injected to this pink-haired girl's head.

"I'll get you for this." Meer said as she finally managed to let go from Cagalli's grip.

"Ohh, I'm scared." Cagalli teased.

The three girls stormed outside the comfort room in defeat. The two other girls comforted Meer as she massaged her arm.

"Nice." Shiho smiled. Cagalli on the other hand jumped in shock. She forgot that another person was in there.

"Thanks for saving me." The black haired lady said.

"It was no problem. You were the one who saved me first." Cagalli smiled.

Both of them smiled as they went their way outside. Seems like Cagalli just made another friend.

----

"Where were you?" Athrun hissed as she returned to their table.

"I got lost." Cagalli scratched her head. Another lame excuse she thought.

The lights in the hall dimmed. Only a spotlight remained on the stage. "What's going on?" Cagalli asked.

"Shh… Nicol's going to perform." Athrun placed his finger on his lips.

Cagalli gazed on the stage where Nicol sat with his piano. He started to play. Cagalli drifted off with the sound of his playing. Her head was so light, it was like it makes you remember all the good things that happened to your life. Cagalli stayed silent.

Athrun averted his gaze from Nicol to Cagalli. She kept her head down. Later on, Athrun could hear her sobbing at her seat.

"Hey, are you crying?" Athrun softly lifted up Cagalli's head.

"No, I'm not!" She hissed. "I just got something on my--" She couldn't continue. Tears were already welling up her eyes. She tried to stop it but it has already been clouding her vision. She scolded herself for being such a cry baby.

"It's just that… I… miss my dad." Cagalli sobbed silently on her chair.

Athrun made a sweet smile and placed his arm around Cagalli's shoulder. "There, there…" He took Cagalli's head and rested it on his shoulder.

"I'll buy you some ice cream later so don't cry anymore okay?" Athrun smiled.

Cagalli raised her eyebrows. Ice cream? Only kids fall for that kind of treat.

"Ice cream is for kids. I want ramen." Cagalli sobbed. "A really large bowl of ramen." She said as she wiped her tears. "…and ice cream too…" she silently added.

Athrun laughed softly at his seat. "Ramen it is…"

Cagalli stayed silent as she rested on Athrun's shoulder. She was constantly gazing on Athrun. It was the first time she'd notice that Athrun eyes were really attractive. His emerald eyes were complementing his midnight blue hair. Athrun on the other hand was unnoticeably stroking Cagalli's hair.

They stayed in that position for a while. It was the best part of the night. Cagalli told herself. It was just the best…

-----

Thanks to all the readers :]

I hope you continue your support on my fic :] It really means a lot to me.

------


	6. Date?

Chapter 6:

Cagalli grinned at the fridge door. It was 5 am in the morning and Athrun was nowhere to be found. Only a post it stuck itself at the middle of the refrigerator. It said:

_Meet me at my office 5pm sharp._

_Don't be late!_

_-Athrun_

_P.S._

_wear something nice_

Cagalli giggled as she read the note over and over again. A smile appeared on her lips, this is exciting! She thought.

"It's a d-a-t-e!" She giggled again, this time louder.

"I'm going out with Athrun! I'm going out with Athrun! ~" She sing sang her words as she danced around the dining table like a complete idiot. Even though she knew that the date was fake, Cagalli couldn't stop herself from giggling and laughing. It was weird but she felt really happy and excited about the whole date thing.

"Ah, must choose my clothes!" She said as she ran towards her bedroom. Cagalli opened her closet and rummaged through all her clothes. She kept searching for the best suitable attire for the occasion. She really wanted to look good in front of Athrun. Unfortunately, there was nothing in her closet that was worth showing off. Cagalli sighed. It made her realize that she had no fashion sense. All she had were mountains of shorts, cargo shorts, pants, shirts, large shirts, jerseys and dozens of ungirly stuff.

Cagalli sighed in disappointment. She blamed herself for not listening to Miriallia's girlie advices.

Cagalli laid flat on the floor and stared at the ceiling. "Ah!" She stood up and began digging her pile of clothes again. At last she found it! The only dress that she ever had! It was a green spaghetti-strapped Sunday dress, a Christmas present from Miriallia.

Cagalli kissed the dress and uttered a small prayer of thanks. It's a good thing it still fitted her. She paired the dress with a dark green jacket. It was the perfect combination; the problem now was the shoes. Cagalli scanned her shoe rack. There were only about six pairs of foot ware in her rack and clearly, none of them can be worn with a dress. She had sneakers, flip-flops, more sneakers, rubber shoes… Cagalli slapped herself in the head. She wasn't aware that she was this deprived of being a 'girl'. I mean, no one ever bothered to tell her, well, except for Miriallia and Shinn of course.

Cagalli had one last shot for hope – the high heels she wore at the party. Never mind the uneasiness and aching. As long as she would look beautiful in Athrun's eyes, then who cares if her foot ached forever!

Cagalli smiled satisfactorily with what she had achieved. She couldn't wait for later.

---

Physical Education, the last subject for the day finally arrived. Girls and boys were separated from each other. The girls had their own volleyball court while the guys are into soccer.

Cagalli and Miriallia took a break from their physical activity to sit down and rest.

"So, right now you're telling me that you are currently dating your boss." Miri said as she wiped her face with a towel.

Cagalli shook her head. "No, it's only for a while… were just pretending to be fiancés. My boss is allergic to arranged marriages." Cagalli chuckled.

"Hmmm… but not bad actually, well, he's got the looks and the money… maybe you can just be his real fiancé!" Miriallia giggled.

"Like that would happen. I only did it for the sake of our house…" Cagalli placed her hand on her chin.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you all jumpy and excited when you told me about the date thing?" Miriallia made a cynical grin.

"…"

Miriallia raised her eyebrows. "You like him don't you?"

"What? Me? No way in hell!" Cagalli waved her hands defensively and hid her flushed red cheeks.

"You're all red, you know." Her best friend teased.

"It's just that he's been really nice to me, that's all…" Cagalli hid her face behind her knee. She could feel blood rushing to her face. If this continues, Miriallia would tease her all day.

"Che, yeah right." Miriallia grinned sarcastically.

---

At the other side of the court, the guys also took a break from their soccer game.

"Shinn, you shouldn't stare much at Cagalli, she might melt!" Tolle **Koenig**, one of Shinn's close friends blocked his view.

"What? I wasn't staring! I was watching their game!" Shinn growled on his defense. Blood rushed up to his cheeks.

"Yeah right, like we'll believe you." Tolle said. "Just look at them, jumping so freely, sweat rushing down their *insert perverted idea here*"

"Shut your perverted mouth asshole." Shinn growled again.

Sai faked a cry. "Finally our Shinn is a grown man, ready to cease his unrequited love story…"

"What?" Shin glared at them

"Oh, c'mon man, just confess. I know you liked Cagalli ever since you've been kicking people's asses. It's a friendly advice." Sai placed his hand on Shinn's shoulder.

"If it was that easy, then I should have done it a long time ago…" Shinn said and hid his embarrassed face.

---

Athrun Zala reclined on his chair. His head was aching like hell. News about global recession was all over the television and Japan is one of the countries that would definitely get struck by this global phenomenon. For the last ten hours of his stay in his office, he did nothing but meet people, type and think of solutions about this problem. I shouldn't have planned that fake dinner date with Cagalli. He thought.

---

Cagalli and Athrun sat down facing each other. They were in an Italian restaurant and from the way the manager talked to Athrun, Athrun probably owned the place. They were alone in the restaurant. Staff would only come if Athrun asks for them.

Cagalli made a small sigh. Ever since they left his office, Cagalli hasn't heard a single word from Athrun. He didn't say anything about the way Cagalli looked nor greeted her when she arrived in his office. She wondered about what has happened to him. She frowned in disappointment, maybe she was expecting too much.

The waiter arrived and took their orders. The menu was in Italian and Cagalli couldn't read Italian. Cagalli glanced at Athrun who just ordered his own cup of coffee. She hoped that Athrun would help her decipher the menu, but he didn't. Caglli sighed again. In result, Cagalli pointed the first fancy looking name she saw on the menu. Whatever that is, she hoped that it tastes good.

Cagalli tried to start a conversation but she feared that Athrun might dismiss it. She waited for Athrun to start talking, but he didn't. He just massaged his temples and kept his eyes shut.

"Hey, are you okay?" Cagalli finally said when he didn't stop massaging his head.

"Headache." He said as he averted his gaze. So that's why he isn't talking. Cagalli thought.

Cagalli took her small clutch bag and took out her medicine box. "Here, drink this, it will help lessen your headache" Cagalli slowly slid the tablet on the table.

Athrun on the other hand did not reply nor did he take the medicine. He ignored Cagalli, sipped his coffee and took out his laptop from his bag.

"Thank you so much for your concern". Cagalli sarcastically said as she grimaced in her seat. What the heck is his problem? Cagalli thought as she stared at Athrun wishing that her stare would melt him on his seat. It was like she didn't even exist. Cagalli exhaled loudly. Chill, Cagalli; she told herself.

Cagalli frowned at the sight of her dish. Don't get her wrong, it looked good and enticing. The only problem is that she has lost her appetite due to the insensitivity of the person in front of her. Athrun had been typing on his laptop, the clicking sounds from his laptop made Cagalli cringe in irritation.

Cagalli evilly etched a smile. It's easier to annoy someone when they are busy. An evil laugh exited Cagalli's mind.

So, with that plan in mind she tried to get his attention. Cagalli chewed her food as loud as she can. She sipped her drink like a 3 year old child and as loud as possible, she clanked her fork on her plate. She tried everything that's unethical while eating but still she got no reaction from Athrun. Cagalli rolled her eyes. This guy won't even pay attention even if there's someone dying in front of him.

Cagalli tried again. "What are you playing text twist?" Cagalli looked at the window as she munched the reddish thing she was eating.

Finally, Athrun's gaze fell upon her. At her peripheral vision, she could see his emerald eyes stare at her. Cagalli laughed behind her head.

"You shouldn't put too much effort in it." She faced Athrun. "Can't you solve it? I'm really good at it." Cagalli smiled.

Athrun closed his laptop. "What's the matter? Didn't you guess the longest word?" Cagalli teased again. She was enjoying this.

"What's your problem?" Athrun glared at her.

Victory is hers. That was easy. She didn't know Athrun would fall so easily with her teasing and taunting.

"Do you like the attention that much?" He crossed his arms. Cagalli's eyes widened. Woah, that was a shocker.

"What?" Cagalli raised her tone. She didn't like the attention. She just didn't like the fact that Athrun wasn't paying her _any_ attention at all.

She snapped. "You know what, maybe I really want attention." She said sarcastically as she fixated her glare at Athrun. "Because for the past hour I thought I was eating alone in this fancy restaurant."

"You didn't even talked to me or noticed me. You treated me like I wasn't even here in front of you." Cagalli gritted her teeth. "I even wore something nice so that…"

"What are you a kid?" Athrun cut her, his tone grew louder and scarier. "Do you want me to take notice of everything you do?"

Cagalli bit her lip. That's not what she had in mind.

All she wanted was for Athrun to stop ignoring her like she's some invisible thing. Anger and irritation was filling her head.

"Why are you so insensitive?" Cagalli said as she pounded the table with her fists.

"Didn't you even realize that I was worried about you and your stupid headache?!" Cagalli cried. "Did you even realize that I don't know how to read your freakin' menu? Huh?" Cagalli tried to control her emotions, she felt like she's about to cry.

"…" Athrun was not able to react instantly. He was confused. If she didn't know how to read the menu she should have said it. But before he could put his thoughts into words, Cagalli spoke.

"… You didn't even notice that I tried so hard to look good so that people around you won't say anything bad about you…" Her voice shook. Cagalli bent her head down as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Before any of her tears fell, she turned back and marched away from Athrun and from the restaurant.

Athrun froze in his seat. His mind went blank. Did he just make her cry? Athrun massaged his temples again. His head felt like it was going to split open. Athrun took the headache tablet and played with it for a while.

Cagalli's words echoed on his head over and over again. "…worried about me…" He whispered. And in an instant, he felt that he really did something wrong. Unconsciously he made his way out of the restaurant to look for Cagalli.

---

Cagalli wiped her tears for the nth time. "Insensitive jerk." She whispered while trying to stop herself from crying not to mention while avoiding tripping on her heels. She sighed. She should have just worn her chucks or her flip flops. The chilly wind made her shiver. Maybe she should just go home.

Cagalli touched her pockets. Oh, shit. She had no pockets. Cagalli's eyes bulged in panic. How could she forget her clutch bag!?

"Oh, crap." She hissed, so much for her dramatic exit. Cagalli unenthusiastically walked back to the restaurant. Every step she took felt like her ankle was going to be dislocated from the rest of her foot.

"I've had enough!" Cagalli took off her heels and threw them away. But before she even could take another step further, she picked up the shoes. It was expensive and it would be really awful if she would throw them away.

Cagalli stuck her nose on the restaurant door. It was closed, and no matter how she tries to peek inside, there was no sign of her clutch bag. Cagalli sat near the door and chuckled at herself. She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. With no money, cell phone or anything, she is as good as a homeless person.

Well, she'd better start walking home. She thought, removing all the negative feelings inside her. At least she can still reach home… maybe tomorrow morning.

---

Athrun broke the record of cursing for the least amount of time. Running at a speed of 100km/hour, he explored all over the place but still couldn't find her. He anxiously bit his lip. Where could she possibly be?

---

"Owww…" Cagalli yelped and lifted her foot. Wearing her heels was better than walking barefooted on the road. But she had no other choice. Its either she breaks a heel and never reach her house or walk without shoes and escape with only a few scratches and injuries. It was a good thing the site of the beach makes her forget the pain of her feet.

Cagalli sat on the sand. Watching the waves move back and forth and the whistling of the wind made her forget all that happened even though for a little while. She hugged her knees, maybe she could just rest for a while… just a small nap. But before she could close her eyes, a familiar figure dangled in front of her.

"I must be really tired…" She whispered. "I'm seeing things… my clutch bag is floating…"

"…go away… I want to sleep…" She said as she tried to shove the thing away. But the bag did not disappear, instead it dangled around her face.

"Don't you want to go home?" A familiar voice made Cagalli's eyes widened. She turned her head and saw Athrun playing with her clutch bag.

"Thanks for bringing it." She rolled her eyes and grabbed the bad from Athrun. She was still mad at him. Cagalli walked away and left Athrun alone on the shore.

"Hey, where are you going?" Athrun asked as he followed her.

"I'm going home!" Cagalli grasped her heels and made a run for it. But before she could even run a foot away from Athrun, her feet betrayed her. Before she knew it, her head was down on the sand.

"Ow…" She hissed. Cagalli wiped the sand on her face. Small wounds and scratches filled her foot and face. Athrun approached her and extended his arm.

"C'mon, let's go home." He said. Cagalli on the other hand reacted violently and whacked his arm away.

"I can go home by myself!" She glared.

Athrun sighed. This girl is so stubborn. "Can you go home in that kind of situation?" He muttered as he glanced at Cagalli's feet. She must have been walking for a long time already. Athrun smiled at himself.

"Aish, c'mon let's go." Athrun squatted and offered hid back for Cagalli to ride on. "Hop on."

"Hmph!" Cagalli didn't even react with Athrun's kind gesture.

Athrun sighed and faced Cagalli. "Look, for what happened a while ago… I'm sorry…"

Cagalli glanced at him. His fingers were playing with his midnight blue hair, added to that his cheeks blushed. Was he embarrassed?

"You see… companies are experiencing the effect of the financial crisis. And, as much as possible I don't want to lay out my workers. I know that it's hard to find work today especially in this kind of situation." He paused. Cagalli watched him as he continued to play with his hair.

"That's why a while ago, I was deep in thought that's why I did not notice you.."

Cagalli fixed her eyes on Athrun's face. She shrieked silently, what the heck is that facial expression?! His eyes were avoiding her and… and they were apologetic and pitiful. He was like a small puppy begging for love and care. At an instant, Cagalli felt guilty. Who could resist that face?

"O..okay.. I forgive you!" She looked away. "Only because you were having problems with your company. Do that again and I'll definitely going to kick your ass!" She crossed her arms. Cagalli tried her best to avoid looking at Athrun's face. Who knows what kind of cute expression he would put up?

Athrun made a small chuckle, "Now can we go home?"

He smiled and lifted Cagalli on his back. Cagalli rested his head on his shoulder. She was very tired, heck! She would never walk that far again in heels.

"So… how far did you walk?" Athrun asked. He was very curious, seeing Cagalli's feet was full of small wounds.

"Far enough… I'm really good at running away." She said.

"Hey Athrun, why did people invent high heels?" Cagalli shrugged. It was a stupid question but she wanted to ask it anyway.

"Who knows? Maybe because girls were good at running away and so they invented it they could slow women down." He seriously said.

Cagalli was shocked at his answer. All she could do was laugh. "That was a good one!"

Cagalli kept laughing. She rested her face on his shoulder. Cagalli could smell Athrun's scent. It was weird but he smelled like peppermint.

Both stayed silent for a while, Cagalli's eyes were starting to get heavy. She was too tired. But out of the blue Athrun spoke.

"Thanks for the medicine…"

Cagalli buried her head on Athrun's shoulder. She tried to say 'you're welcome' but only a muffled sound was heard.

"Also, the food you ate was called Friuli-Venezia Giulia "

"Really? It was good…" Cagalli replied silently. She tried to keep her eyes from shutting down but she was defeated.

"And.." He said as he glanced on his shoulder. But before he could continue Athrun saw Cagalli sleeping silently on his shoulder.

She must have been really tired. He thought

"Well, this is a good thing since I really don't want you to hear it… You really looked nice today…" Athrun smiles silently to himself.


End file.
